11. A GLASS TO MAKE THINGS BIG.

 1. "What shall I look at next?" said Rose, who had a glass thing in her hand, next day. "Oh, this fly!"

 

2. The lunch was on the table, and I was just making a hearty¹ meal on a pat of butter. I knew that Rose would not hurt me. So I stood quite still.[Pg 100]

 

3. "How very strange!" said the little girl. "He looks as big as a horse. His wings are like shining lace, and he has hairy brushes on his feet.

 

4. "Now he is cleaning his head with one of them. I am glad that flies are not really so big as he seems now.

 

5. "What a buzzing we should have, and what should we do when such huge things flew about the room or walked on the ceiling!

 

6. "There would be no room for us to move, and the house would be too small. Fancy having such a creature as this fly looks now jumping and prancing² over one's bread and jam!"

 

7. I was not pleased with this speech; I knew that my colour was rather dingy³, but I had always thought my shape to be light and graceful⁴, and this Rose had taken no notice of.

 

8. Neither had she so much as looked at my trunk, of which I am truly proud. So I flew away in a pet from under the glass, and settled on the loaf in the middle of the table, out of her reach.[Pg 101]

 

9. "But for you, dear grand-father, I should never have thought such tiny creatures worth taking any notice of. Why, they are made just as well as big ones, or better."

 

10. "Not better, dear, but quite as well. They are all the work of God's hand, and so all must be alike good. Do you know that you owe the pretty crimson⁵ sash that you have on to a very little creature?"

 

11. "Oh yes, the silkworm," said Rose.

 

"Yes, and the red colour was made from[Pg 102] the dead body of an insect too. There is a sort of blight⁶ which gives this red colour after it is dead.

 

12. "Merchants bring them from abroad, after they have been taken from the plants on which they live. As they kill the coffee plants they must be swept off, and they are made into dye."

 

13. Grand-father would have said much more, but just then Rose saw Tom and Lucy walking up the lawn to the open window.

 

14. Behind them walked gravely Neptune⁷ the dog, with his master's stick in his mouth, which he thought it a great honour to carry.

 

Write: Rose saw the fly through her glass. She felt glad that the fly was not so big as he looked then. He was as well made as if he were large.

 

Questions: 1. What did Rose look at through her glass? 2. What did she think about the fly? 3. What did Mr. Sutton say about great and little creatures? 4. Whom did Rose see in the garden? 5. Who walked behind carrying his master's stick?

1 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

2 prancing   

v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lead singer was prancing around with the microphone. 首席歌手手执麦克风，神气地走来走去。
• The King lifted Gretel on to his prancing horse and they rode to his palace. 国王把格雷特尔扶上腾跃着的马，他们骑马向天宫走去。 来自辞典例句

3 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

4 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

5 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

6 blight   

n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残

参考例句：

• The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
• There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。

7 Neptune   

n.海王星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun.海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Neptune turned out to be a dynamic,stormy world.海王星原来是个有生气、多风暴的世界。